Trade books with BookMooch

BookMooch is a cheap and easy way for readers to share books.
Illustration credit Andrice Arp, courtesy of BookMooch.com

Go ahead, admit it. You have books stacked everywhere that you've read already, don't want to read again, and you just can't bring yourself to get rid of them. What's a bookworm to do?

The bookworm should check out BookMooch. It's a pretty simple concept. Sign up for an account, and list books you want to give away. You earn points for listing your books, and you earn more points when you give someone else a book. You then trade your points for books that other "moochers" are giving away, from anywhere around the world. There's no cost to join the site, no buying points, no paying for books. The only cost is your postage to mail the books you give away. How's that for a deal?

Why is it called mooching? The site quotes the definition of mooch: "to obtain something without paying for it, or to borrow something without intending to return it." A perfect fit, isn't it?

BookMooch has a great program that allows moochers to donate points to charity. They work with dozens of organizations, giving those groups the opportunity to mooch books with donated points. Charities include libraries, children's groups and schools around the world, including Operation Paperback, which sends paperbacks to soldiers serving overseas.

One of the coolest features about BookMooch is their Moochbar, which allows users to import books from any web page using the 10-digit ISBN numbers - Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ABE Books, and alibris, just to name a few. See a book you like at Amazon? Click the "mooch" button, and it will check the BookMooch site to see if the book is available.

All this makes BookMooch a definite go-to destination for the bookworm in your home.

What are your picks? Do you have favorite beach reads, favorite books, favorite mysteries? Maybe best books made into movies - or books that never should have been made into movies?  If you'd like to see your "Five Books" list here, please email me at INeedABook at gmail.com.